My children have never bought lunch at school. I think they are a little intimidated about walking through the line and they would rather talk to their friends at the table than spend time waiting in line. Lunch is all about "friend" time for them.
I don't mind because I like knowing what they are eating even if it means creative shopping to keep a variety of food in the house for lunches every day.
Lately, I have seen many articles about the unsafe temperature of children's lunches. I always thought I was doing enough by throwing in an ice pack before I zipped their bag closed.
Recently, the journal Pediatrics released a study looking at the temperature of 705 lunches containing at least one perishable item belonging to 3-5 year olds. The temperatures found were not good and many of those lunches were at risk for food borne illnesses.
Fortunately, there are ways to improve the temperature in packed lunches and reduce the risk of your child becoming ill.
- Pack lunches in highly insulated bags.
- Pack multiple cold packs.
- Pack foods less likely to cause food borne illnesses such as applesauce cups, trail mix, whole grain crackers and hummus.
- If possible, store the lunch sacks in a refrigerator. Ask your child's school if this is possible.
Hampton Roads, Tidewater, Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, nanny, childcare, babysitter, sitter, live-in, au pair, provider, AuPairCare, nannies, children, child, kids, multiples, twins, triplets
